Wounds
by FreeSpirit21
Summary: Shang, Mulan, and the gang go on a camping trip and find the last person they expected to see. *Takes place after the first movie, does not follow the storyline of the second movie*
1. Chapter 1

Mulan and Shang entered the stable at the Fa residence. They both wore smiles on their faces, unable to focus on what they original intended when they entered the barn. Mulan placed her hands on either side of Shang's face and pulled him down to her, kissing him on the lips. After a moment, she pulled away, blushing. As she turned to saddle her horse, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. Shang pulled her to him, kissing her once more. The kiss was full of love and passion. Mulan wrapped her arms around Shang's neck, reaching her fingers into his hair.

As Shang's hands started to roam, Khan nickered, pulling the couple out of their kiss. They both looked at the black horse, who seemed to shake his head and roll his eyes. This made Shang and Mulan laugh. Mulan placed one more chaste kiss on Shang's lips, then turned and began saddling her horse. When her back was to him, Shang let out a shaky breath and walked to the other stall where his big, white stallion was kept. They saddled their horses in silence, Mulan thinking of the kiss, Shang thinking of what he was about to do.

After a few minutes, Mulan walked over to Shang and his horse, leading Khan behind her.

"Almost ready to go, General?" she asked, a smile on her face.

"Oh. Yes, almost. Just one more thing," he said, pausing.

Mulan chuckled when Shang's horse nudged him, causing him to take a step forward, his face inches from Mulan's.

"Mulan, I haven't known you for very long, but I feel that doesn't matter so much when a man is in love."

Mulan's eyes grew, and a smile spread across her face. She knew Shang loved her, he'd told her several times.

"As Ping, you were my best soldier. I trusted you with my life and you saved it on more than one occasion. When I found out who you really were, it didn't take long for me to realize that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and no one else. You are an incredible, beautiful woman," Shang got down on one knee, "Mulan, it would bring me great joy and honor if you would be my wife. Will you marry me?"

Mulan jumped on Shang, knocking him down.

"Yes!" she yelled, overjoyed that he had finally asked her.

They both laughed as they shared another kiss before standing and brushing the hay off of themselves.

"We should go tell MaMa and BaBa before we leave," she told him, a smile still on her face.

"They already know," Shang told her, smirking. "They've known for quite a while, actually."

"Well, General, you are very good at keeping secrets and surprises," she joked, lightly hitting his chest.

The couple led their horses out of the stable and tied them to the hitching rail before walking into the family home. Her parents and grandma were standing on the porch, all smiling, her mother wiping tears from her eyes. Mulan hugged each one of them and Shang kissed Fa Li and Grandma Fa on the cheek before bowing to Fa Zhou. Fa Zhou placed a hand on Shang's armored shoulder.

"Take good care of my daughter, General," Fa Zhou told him in a fatherly voice.

"I will protect her with my life, sir," Shang promised.

Fa Zhou nodded. Shang bowed once more before following Mulan back to the horses. They untied the horses and mounted. They waved to Mulan's family before going through the gate.

Once the gate closed behind them, they kicked their horses into a gallop, racing down the road. They both laughed as Mulan and Khan ran ahead of Shang and his Imperial stallion. When Mulan had obviously one, she slowed Khan to a walk so Shang could catch up to her.

"I think we one," she looked at him and winked.

"We let you win," he chuckled.

Mulan rolled her eyes and smiled. She was still so overjoyed about Shang's proposal she could hardly think about anything else.

"What are you thinking about?" Shang asked, noticing her silence.

"Nothing, I'm just happy," she told him, looking over at her fiancé.

Shang reached his hand out and Mulan took it in hers. He leaned over and kissed her cheek as they walked down the road. They rode through the village, ignoring the stares and comments from villagers on the street.

"Fa Mulan had to run away to find a man. She knew nobody would marry her after her meeting with the matchmaker," they heard one woman say to another.

"A man as handsome as that only has one use for a woman like her," the other woman said.

Shang knew about her meeting with the matchmaker. Her grandma had brought it up at the first dinner Shang had with her family. Mulan stared straight ahead as they continued to ride through the village. Shang's grip on her hand tightened slightly, making her feel a little better. She knew that what they were saying wasn't true. She knew that Shang loved her for who she was and that she loved him. Mulan turned to the handsome man riding beside her and smiled. The matchmaker was wrong. She was going to be a bride. She had brought honor to her family. Of course, she had to join the army to achieve those things. That thought made her laugh to herself.

"What's so funny?" Shang asked, an interested smirk on his face.

"My life," she replied, laughing again.

Shang raised a quizzical eyebrow, prompting his fiancé to explain.

"I never thought I would be where I am right now," she explained, "engaged to be married. To a man that was my captain, no less. I never dreamed that I'd run away and join the army, save China, and make the friends that I have. It just seems unreal."

As she finished her explanation, Mulan and Shang turned to see three familiar men being kicked out of a building. They both laughed.

"Speaking of friends," Mulan said, smiling at Shang.


	2. Chapter 2

They rode over without the men noticing. After they had finished dusting themselves off and cursing the man that had kicked them out, they turned and saw the couple.

"General Shang! Mulan!" they yelled, forgetting about their anger.

"It looks like you three still have an affinity for finding trouble," Shang joked, "I'm surprised Ping isn't involved this time."

Shang looked at Mulan, who gave him a sheepish grin before dismounting her horse. When she was on the ground, the three men engulfed her in a group hug, causing her to burst into laughter. She had missed her friends.

"So what's new with you two?" Ling asked.

Shang, who had also dismounted, walked up to the group. He took Mulan's hand in his own and they shared a smile.

"Mulan and I are engaged to be married," Shang said proudly, still looking at his future bride.

The gang of three started cheering. They all knew after the incident at the palace that Mulan and Shang would end up together. Mulan and Shang laughed as Chien-Po picked them both up in a big hug. He set them down and Shang put his arm around Mulan's waist.

"Where are you headed?" Yao asked when the celebrating had calmed.

"We're going camping," Mulan told him, then looked at Shang.

He nodded, knowing what she was asking.

"Would you three like to join us?" she asked the group, "it would be nice to catch up."

The gang all nodded, accepting the invitation graciously.

"Go get your things," Shang said, "we'll wait here."

The men ran off to pack their things. Mulan and Shang led their horses to a trough filled with water so they could drink. Mulan leaned her head on Shang's shoulder as she watched the ripples in the water. She saw her reflection and, at last, she recognized the person smiling back at her. A second smile joined her reflection and she looked up at Shang.

"I don't know that I've ever seen you smile this much, Fa Mulan," he told her, half joking.

"I've always felt out of place, like I didn't belong. I didn't recognize my own reflection. But now, I know who I am."

Shang smiled down at her, then kissed her forehead. After a moment, they heard the usual bickering of their friends as they made their way back toward Shang and Mulan. Unexpectedly, Shang lifted Mulan off her feet, setting her on Khan's back with ease. She blushed and smiled at him as he pulled himself onto his own horse. The group set off down the road, soon leaving the village and its gossip behind them.

They walked down the road for a few hours, stopping every now and then so the men could rest their feet. It had been several months since they'd had to do any marching. They were out of shape.

When they finally found the perfect place to set up camp, Mulan and Shang got down from their horses. Shang removed his armor and they began to set up their tents. Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po had each brought their own tents as well. After the tents were all set up, they decided to split up and look for firewood. The gang of three went in one direction, Mulan another, and Shang went his own way.

"Don't go too far, we don't want anyone getting lost," Shang called out as they all went their separate ways.


	3. Chapter 3

Mulan had tied her hair in a topknot. It was just past her shoulders now, and it hung in her face as she bent down to pick up firewood. She carried a stack back to camp, then set out to find more. She wandered farther away than Shang would have liked, not able to find very many good sticks and lost in her thoughts. She looked around and realized she wasn't sure where she was.

_Damn. Shang was right. Which way did I come from?_ She thought to herself as she looked around.

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap behind her.

"Shang, is that you? You were right," she began to say, but when she turned around, she was staring into the piercing yellow eyes of Shan-Yu.

Mulan screamed. As she tried to back up, her foot caught on a tree root and she nearly fell over. Shan-Yu caught her by her throat. She tried to scream again, but it just came out as a joking sound as the force on her throat increased.

"The soldier from the mountain," Shan-Yu snarled, raising a sword to Mulan's face, "what should I do with you?"

In the next instant, Mulan was on the ground clutching her throat. She looked up to see Shang fighting Shan-Yu, meeting every strike of Shan-Yu's sword with his own. She couldn't speak, she could only watch. Her other hand covered her mouth to keep from shouting. Suddenly, Shan-Yu's fist landing against Shang's jaw, knocking him off balance. Before she could do anything, Shan-Yu's sword sliced across Shang's side, leaving him bleeding on the ground.

"No! Shang!" Mulan screamed, stumbling to his side.

"Mulan," he groaned, "you have to run."

"I'm not leaving you," she cried, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks, dripping onto Shang's face.

Mulan heard the evil laugh and crouched defensively over her bleeding fiancé, staring up into the face of Shan-Yu. _How did he survive? She watched him fly into the firework stand at the Imperial Palace. It exploded. This wasn't possible._ Everyone had thought Shan-Yu was dead. Mulan's eyes filled with tears as she looked down at Shang. The pain he felt was visible on his face. His eyes grew with fear as Shan-Yu lifted Mulan off the ground by her throat.

"You took away my victory," the former Hun leader started, a terrifying smile creeping onto his face, "so now, I will take away your honor."

Before Mulan could react, Shan-Yu pulled the fabric from her hair, causing her shoulder-length black locks to fall around her face. Then in the next moment, his mouth covered her own. She pressed her lips together as tightly as she could, her head beginning to spin from the tight grip still on her throat.

"Mulan," she heard Shang groan, the pain evident in his voice.

She gasped for air as she was thrown to the ground beside Shang. He tried to sit up, clutching his bleeding side. Mulan stared at Shan-Yu, trying not to show any fear. He slowly walked toward her, the look on his face telling her exactly what he planned to do.

"I'm so sorry, Shang," she whispered, not looking at her fiancé.

Shan-Yu pulled Mulan up by her tunic, letting go when she stood on her feet.

"I am going to defile the hero of China," he said, looking at Shang with a sinister smile, "and you're going to watch."

"No!" the wounded general yelled, groaning in pain.

Mulan closed her eyes. A lone tear trailing down her cheek was the only betrayal of her stone persona. She felt a hand strike her face with enough force that she nearly fell to the ground. She quickly righted herself, leaving her eyes shut in hopes of holding back more traitorous tears.

"Keep your hands off of her," Shang yelled, knowing there was nothing else he could do.

Shan-Yu reached his hand out and ripped the tie that held Mulan's tunic closed. With another swift movement of his hands, her tunic was gone. She steeled herself as she felt his hands on her body. She winced as his rough hands moved over her breasts and came to rest on the scar that his sword had given her.

"You survived my sword," Shan-Yu laughed, "your general won't be so lucky."

"Don't touch him," Mulan growled, opening her eyes to see the eyes of Shan-Yu ravaging her bare upper body. Shan-Yu suddenly grabbed her breasts roughly, making her whimper in pain. She knew that right now, neither of them could stop him.

"You would make a fine concubine, Hero of China," he laughed in her face. "After I'm through with you, I will kill the general and take you with me. Once I return with the heroine of China, my glory will be restored."

Mulan stood as still as a rock, bracing for whatever Shan-Yu was going to do to her. Suddenly, she heard a sound all too familiar to her, followed by the absence of Shan-Yu's hands from her body. She opened her eyes to see the Hun leader laying on the ground, an arrow piercing his forehead. Mulan dropped to her knees beside Shang, letting the tears finally fall.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm so sorry," Shang whispered, tears of his own streaking his face.

She ignored him as she lifted his tunic to inspect his wound. It looked very much like the wound she had received from Shan-Yu's sword in the Tung Shao Pass. Mulan grabbed a piece of her ripped tunic and pressed it against the wound, causing Shang to wince.

"You'll be alright," she whispered, wiping tears from her love's face, "we're alright."

Shang managed to remove his own tunic, handing it to Mulan to cover herself. She put it on, tying it tightly. She gave Shang a small smile as he brushed his thumb across her face, pulling it away to reveal her own blood.

"Mulan, you need stitches."

Mulan shook her head, a sad smiling on her lips.

"I'm fine, love," she told him quietly as tears ran down her face.

She bent down and placed a kiss on Shang's forehead as she heard footsteps coming toward them. She immediately stood up and turned to see who was coming. Her defensive stance relaxed as she saw Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po running toward them.

"Mulan! General!" they all yelled, seeing that both were covered in blood.

Mulan sunk to her knees again. Everything had happened so quickly, she hadn't been able to process what they'd been through. She felt more tears begin to roll down her face.

"We need help," she told the gang in a shaky, broken voice.

Her throat was already bruising from Shan-Yu's grip.

"We passed through a village not far from here," Yao told her, "I'm sure we can find a doctor."

Mulan whistled, smiling when she saw Khan come running into the clearing, followed by Shang's white stallion. Ling gave Mulan a hand while Yao and Chien-Po carefully helped Shang to his feet. He was unsteady from losing blood, but he was determined to walk on his own to his horse.

Mulan gave him a worried look as he stumbled over to the stallion. He put his foot in the stirrup, nearly falling over. She came up behind him and gently steadied him as he climbed into the saddle.

"Shang, may I ride with you?" she asked quietly, looking up at him.

"Of course, my love," he told her.

Mulan pulled herself onto the horse's back, sitting behind Shang. She placed her hand on the ripped piece of fabric, gently removing it from his side to check the wound. It was still bleeding but it seemed to have slowed. She placed the cloth back against the wound, praying to the ancestors that Shang would be alright.

After half an hour, they arrived at the village. The gang of three split up to search for a doctor, leaving Mulan and Shang alone with the horses. Shang placed his hand over Mulan's as she held pressure to his wound.

"I'm so sorry, Mulan," he whispered, turning his face to her.

"You have nothing to apologize for," she told him, wrapping her other arm around his waist.

"I couldn't protect you. What kind of husband will I be if I can't keep you safe?"

Mulan saw the tear slowly slide down his cheek as he turned away. She rested her forehead against his bare back for a moment, hearing someone yell her name. She raised her head, turning to see Yao running toward them, followed closely by a man she assumed was the doctor. She jumped down from the horse to meet them. The doctor began inspecting Mulan, seeing that the tunic she wore was covered in blood.

"I'm fine," she cried hoarsely, "General Li is the one that needs help. Please."

Mulan turned to help Shang down from his horse. Ling and Chien-Po returned as Shang stepped down from the stallion. They stood on either side and helped him walk as they followed Yao and the doctor to his home.

Mulan turned away, unable to keep the tears from flowing any longer. She walked swiftly over to Khan, burying her blood and tear-stained face into his thick neck. He nickered softly, understanding that she was upset.

After several minutes, her tears had run dry. She took a deep breath and turned to go find the others, leading the two horses behind her. It didn't take long to find the home of the doctor. She spotted the gang sitting outside, worry plastered on their faces.

"How's it going?" her voice was no more than a whisper.

"Sounds like he finally fainted," Chien-Po said softly.

"Yeah, you missed the yelling," Yao said, prompting a swift elbow to the ribs from Ling.

"Hey! What was that for?" He yelled, ready to punch Ling in the gut.

Ling nodded his head to Mulan, who had turned away, fighting the urge to vomit.

"Oh. Sorry," Yao mumbled, looking from Mulan to his feet.

Mulan shook her head and walked past the men into the home of the doctor. He walked out of the room and motioned for Mulan.

"How is he?" her voice shook with worry.

"He will be alright," the doctor began, "he lost a lot of blood, but I was able to close the wound and wrap it with herbs to prevent infection. General Li will be very weak for several days. It would be wise to stay in the village until he regains his strength."

"May I see him?"

The doctor motioned to the door and nodded. Mulan bowed before quietly entering the room, closing the door behind her. She walked across the room and knelt beside the bed where Shang lay.

His bare chest rose and fell evenly with each breath. The bandage covered much of his abdomen. Mulan gently stroked Shang's hair as she listened to his steady breathing. She laid her head down on the bed, still caressing his soft hair. As her eyes drifted closed, Mulan let the comforting sound of her fiancé's breathing lull her to sleep.

Mulan wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep when she felt Shang stirring. She lifted her head to see his dark eyes looking down at her. He lifted his hand, brushing the hair out of her face. He frowned when he saw that her face was still bleeding.

"Mulan, please have the doctor stitch your cut."

"I will," she assured him.

He smiled, relieved she didn't argue with him. Her eyes glistened with tears that she refused to shed, but he could see the streaks that ran down her face, mixing with the bloodstains.

"How do you feel?" she whispered.

"Tired. And Sore," he groaned.

Mulan began to speak, but before she could, the doctor came into the room. Mulan and Shang could both see that he had the materials needed to stitch the wound on her face.

"Are you ready for me to clean and sew your wound?" he asked.

"Yes, she is," Shang answered for her, seeing the hesitance on her face.

The doctor sat on a short stool beside the bed, cleaning the blood from Mulan's face. He used a liquid that burned when it touched the open wound, making Mulan wince. Shang grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She was his toughest soldier, but he knew that she needed his comfort now.

"You must stay very still as I stitch. Do you understand?"

Mulan nodded, her eyes stayed tightly shut. Shang held her hand as the doctor stitched, enduring the grip that he didn't know she had as the doctor pulled the needle through her skin over and over. When he was finally finished, he left Mulan and Shang alone once more. Mulan opened her eyes as a few tears trickled down her face. Shang carefully wiped them away.

"Happy?" Mulan asked her fiancé sarcastically.

"I'm happy that you got it taken care of, I'm not happy seeing you in pain," he told her.

Shang carefully moved over, making space for Mulan on the bed. She smiled at him before standing up.

"I'm going to go talk to the guys, I'll be right back."

He nodded, watching her walk away.

Outside, the men were all asleep on the ground. Mulan cleared her throat, waking the gang but causing her to wince.

"How is he, Mulan?" Ling asked, eager to hear the condition of their General.

"He's awake, but he's very tired. The doctor said we must stay in the village for a few days until Shang is strong enough to travel."

"I saw an inn not far from here. We'll go and make arrangements with the innkeeper. You two get some rest," Chien-Po told her, standing and picking Yao and Ling up.

Mulan smiled as she watched the three men walk away. When they were gone, she turned and walked back into the home of the doctor. A soft smile crept onto her lips as she entered the room and saw Shang waiting for her.

"Shang, you know it isn't proper to share a bed before we're married," she giggled.

Shang knew very well that Mulan wasn't the type of woman to care about propriety and tradition. He also knew that they both could have been killed. He didn't want to be away from her. Shang didn't know what he would have done if Shan-Yu had killed her. Or if he'd been killed and Shan-Yu took Mulan back with him and…

Shang shook his head, trying to ignore the thought. Shan-Yu was dead. They were sure this time.

"Honestly, Mulan, I don't give a damn about being proper right now," he told her, making her raise an eyebrow at him.

Mulan sat on the edge of the bed, looking down into her fiancé's eyes.

"As soon as I am well enough to leave, we are going to return home and I am going to make you my wife," he told her, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

Mulan smiled, feeling tears well up again, but this time, from joy. She leaned down and kissed Shang's lips, her hair falling around their faces. She had intended it to be a chaste peck, but the events from earlier in the day returned to her mind. She thought of how Shan-Yu had aggressively kissed her, only wanting to cause pain and agony and to prove he had power.

Kissing Shang was a beautiful dance that she had partaken in countless times since they had returned from battle and confessed their true feelings. Their lips moved together effortlessly, parting to allow the other's tongue entrance.

His mouth was sweet, his breath warm against her skin as his lips travelled from her mouth and placed delicate kisses along her jaw and down her throat, replacing the bad memories of Shan-Yu's hand with new memories of love.

Shang carefully sat up from the bed, gently holding Mulan's face in one hand and propping himself up with the other. Mulan let her head fall to the side, allowing Shang better access to her throat. His feather-light kisses moved back up her throat before returning to her lips.

"I'm sorry I let him do those things to you," Shang whispered breathlessly between kisses, "please forgive me," he pleaded.

"You've already been forgiven," Mulan told him, reaching her hand up, entangling it in Shang's hair, removing the tie holding his topknot in place.

Shang's hair fell from the knot. The couple broke apart as they heard a knock at the door. The doctor walked in, seeing the young couple breathless and flushed as they sat on the bed. Mulan blushed and looked away.

"General, if you wish to recover quickly, you must rest. You and your wife are most welcome to stay here tonight."

Shang nodded, thanking the doctor. He didn't correct him about Mulan's title. If the doctor knew they weren't married, he might ask her to leave for the night. The doctor bowed before leaving, closing the door behind him.

When the door closed, they began to giggle. Shang soon stopped, wincing when the laughter caused too much pain in his wound.

"Sorry," Mulan whispered, her smile disappearing, replaced with worry.

"Don't be, I'm alright," he smiled, laying down.

He reached out, pulling Mulan gently into his arms. She was careful not to touch his wound as she snuggled against his side, resting her head on his broad, bare chest.

"Goodnight, wife," Shang whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Goodnight, husband," she smirked, closing her eyes.

That night, Mulan and Shang fell asleep to the sound of each other's heartbeats.


End file.
